The embalming process has been around for ages: The Egyptians, ancient Ethiopian tribes, and aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands back in 900 BC were all early practitioners of preserving their dead. Though the methods of the past were crude at best, the “art” of embalming has become a less disturbing job (emphasis on less), and while we don’t remove the brain and stuff the skull with resin as was done in ancient Egypt—it’s still a pretty gross process to think about. Read More

We rarely think about how our mindless consumption affects the lives of creatures without a voice. On Midway Island, a remote cluster of islands miles from mainland human interface, albatrosses have taken a serious hit. Chris Jordan began photographing the thousands of birds that were dying on the islands, a result of their innocent feeding on lethal plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean. Jordan blurs the line between memorial ceremony and abstract art with his work as each open carcass is contrasted by piles of garbage that lies within it. Read More